“The Crash” is a surreal episode of Mad Men and this song choice further emphasizes Don’s mental state as he becomes a creepy hallway stalker. Don makes several attempts to get Sylvia’s attention this week after she broke off their affair in the previous episode, by attempts I mean he stood in her hallway smoking while listening to her conversations with Arnold. In a scene that could have been part of his drug taking hallucination (it seemed more real than not), Don presses his face against their service entrance door and listens to the song that plays on the radio. The song is “Going Out of my Head” by Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 and the lyrics fit Don’s Sylvia obsession. The way the camera stays on Don as he listens in is unnerving, as is much of the episode that has an underlying menacing tone throughout.
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